"The Coach's" NHL Playoff ANNIHILATOR
(NHL) Nashville vs. Chicago,
Money Line: -157.00 Chicago (Home)
Result: Win
The Nashville Predators tied the series 1-1 Friday after another disastrous performance from Corey Crawford in the Chicago net. Today they'll be up against a red hot Scott Darling instead as the teams take the ice in Chicago for the first of two meetings in Windy City. I like the Blackhawks to start their home-stand with a win.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Bounce Back Experts - Nashville may have picked up a dominant 6-2 victory the last meeting as the Blackhawks almost seemed to roll over but we can expect the hosts to come out with a very different mentality this afternoon. Remember that Chicago is 11-2 in their last 13 games following a loss of three or more goals and 17-4 in their last 21 after allowing five goals or more in their previous game.

2. Road Woes - A big reason why the Preds are even in the playoffs to being with is their stellar home-record during the regular season. Their 19-16-6 road record was not even among the top-half in the league and they've lost four of the last five meetings in Chicago.

3. X-Factor - With Scott Darling replacing Corey Crawford in the Chicago net Nashville will have to work a lot harder for its goals in this match-up. Scoring on Chicago at United Center is never an easy proposition and it allowed only 2.22 goals per game on home-ice during the regular season.

Selection: This is a play on the Chicago Blackhawks